Kuwait: Qatar dispute may have undesirable consequences

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on June 6, 2017, shows Saudi's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) and Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah arriving for a meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. (Photos by AFP)

Kuwait’s emir has warned that the dispute between Qatar and several other Persian Gulf states could lead to "undesirable consequences."

"It is difficult for us, the generation that built the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council 37 years ago, to see these disagreements between its members which may lead to undesirable consequences," Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah said on Monday.

Since early June, Kuwait has been playing the role of mediator between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates who broke off relations with Doha and suspended all land, air and sea traffic with the monarchy. In their apparent bid to secure US support and that of Israel, the four countries cited Qatar's links with Hamas and accused it of supporting terrorism.

"I personally lived through the first building blocks of this council nearly four decades ago, so it is not easy for someone like me as a leader to stand silent without doing everything I can to bring brothers back together," he added.

Last week, Kuwait’s emir traveled to Qatar after his visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of his efforts to help mediate a solution to the diplomatic row among Arab countries.

"Whatever relates to our foreign affairs... no one has the right to discuss," he said during a trip to Paris. He also called for "dialogue based on clear foundations" in relation to claims that his country supports terrorism. "Qatar is willing to sit and negotiate about whatever is related to Persian Gulf security," he added.